A Kiss Isn't Just A Kiss
by phoenix eyes 05
Summary: silly story. don't know what i was thiking. still good though please read and review!
1. Chapter 1: The Safety Date

**A Kiss Isn't Just a Kiss Chapter One: The Safety Date  
**

"So who are you going to the Yule Ball with?" Lavender asked, standing next to the sink watching Hermione brush her hair. "Harry." Said Hermione casually. "Harry? Harry Potter!" Lavender shrieked " no, Harry my cat," Hermione said sarcastically " of course Harry Potter, do you know any other Harrys Lavender?"  
" Ha, Ha Hermione… its just- Harry Potter? I just didn't know you two were dating! I thought you were friends."   
"We are friends. That's why I'm going with him. I don't need any romantic entanglements this year. I just want to relax and have a little fun."  
"What! Are you seriously trying to tell me you didn't have fun with Viktor Krum last time?"  
"I did. It was actually more fun than I expected, but this year's different. Harry asked me because he didn't really know whom else he'd go with. I didn't have any idea who I'd go with either, so I said yes."  
"Gee. How romantic." Said Lavender rolling her eyes and putting down her washcloth, heading out of the girl's lavatory.  
"Whatever," Hermione said under her breath as she put her brush down. "She's just boy crazy."  
"Maybe Harry has a secret crush on you, Hermione," Parvati's voice sounded from a nearby shower stall.   
"Yeah. OK. My best friend has a crush on me just because he asked me to the Yule Ball? Right."  
Parvati poked her head from behind her shower curtain. "I've seen the way he looks at you when you're not watching. But maybe you're too busy studying to notice, although… I think half the school is already aware that you two have quite a little flirtation going on."   
Hermione turned to face Parvati in alarm, her face contorted with annoyance. "Oh. Just because we're best friends? Or maybe because of that stupid Rita Skeeter article a few years ago? Come on, Parvati."

" Well _I _think you should go for it. I mean gosh! Have you seen that boy lately? Whooo!" said Pravati fanning herself with her hand as if she were hot " Come on Hermione wake up and smell the coffee."

"Oh Come off it Pravati! We are just friends. Got it? Just. Friends."   
"Hey! No reason to go mental on me! Maybe he really _doesn't_ stare at you when you've got you nose stuck in a book. I'm probably just _imagining_ things. But Trewlawny is always saying--"  
"Oh bugger Trewlawny!" said Hermione. She left the lavatory and hurried for the Great Hall and breakfast.   
"So you're really taking Hermione?"  
"Yes, Ron. I'm really taking her. I mean, I'm not interested in taking a real date - too much effort. The safety date strategy is the best way to go."  
"Don't let her catch you saying that, Harry. You know how she gets about stuff like that. Remember last year and the whole Eloise Midgen thing? I thought she'd never stop throwing that in my face!"   
"I know, I know. Don't worry. I don't think that'll happen," said Harry cracking a smile.  
"Whaddyamean?" answered Ron looking at him suspiciously, his ginger eyebrows raised.   
Harry pushed his breakfast around on his plate. He didn't know how Ron would react to this conversation. He was hoping it wouldn't come up just yet, or even better, that it wouldn't ever come up at all.  
"Well," Harry started uncertainly, "over the last two weeks since I asked her, I've actually been feeling kind of… funny about the whole thing. Unexpectedly weird about it - in a good way."  
"Don't tell me that you're actually developing a crush on Hermione!" Ron exclaimed rather loudly. Several people started looking in their direction. Harry noticed this and gave Ron a rebuking look.  
"Sorry," Ron said, noticing the glances around them and lowering his voice. "Harry - have you gone nutters? It's Hermione. Remember? The same girl we met on the train in first year and talked about how completely mental she was? She's our friend." Started Ron, obviously on a rampage "I mean I guess there is that possibility that it would all go well- but that's a silm chance! A _very_ slim chance. What she rejects you? It could ruin your friendship! What if-"  
" Wait Ron, slow down." Said Harry stopping him "Let's just start with this: I'm not sure if I have a crush on her. I mean, I don't feel the same way around her as I did around Cho last year. It's just that - "  
Ron kicked Harry under the table, stopping him suddenly. "Hey Hermione!"  
"Hey Ron, how's it going?"  
"Couldn't be better. Could we Harry?"   
"Yeah. Want some kippers?"  
"Sure, thanks." Hermione sat next to Ron and accepted the plate from Harry. She glanced up at him and gave him an assessing sort of look.  
An awkward silence followed as Hermione loaded up her plate. Harry just concentrated on eating his breakfast while Ron seemed to be mesmerized by the surface of his goblet of pumpkin juice.  
"We were just talking about the Yule Ball," Ron started. "You know, who's going with who and everything." Harry looked up at Ron, wondering what would follow next.  
"Mmmm," Hermione answered, she had just taken a large forkful of eggs, "you and the rest of the school. I just got done telling Parvati –"  
"Yeah. So you're going with Harry are you?" Ron interrupted, looking at Harry, his brows furrowed.  
"Yeah," Hermione said, "Didn't you know?"  
"Must have escaped my notice."   
"Oh. That's weird. I could've sworn we told you about it days ago."  
"Nope. Just found out this morning from Neville."  
"From Neville? That's funny!" Hermione turned to look at Harry who was rather pale and trying very hard not to look too uncomfortable about the whole conversation. Ron half-glared, half-grimaced at him - which Hermione missed.  
"Harry? What is it?" Hermione asked, noticing his off coloring.  
"Nothing… Nothing at all - I just shouldn't have had that extra slice of pumpkin pie last night. I think I'm still full from it."  
"Yeah. That was really delicious pie, wasn't it? Maybe those house elves could give me the recipe so I could make it when I'm home on holiday. Just as long as it doesn't take any magic to make it, which, come to think of it, it probably does, so I wouldn't be able to make it and-- What's with you two today?" She said, their strange looks stopping her rant about pumpkin pie suddenly.  
Harry and Ron just looked at each other. Why was Ron acting so funny? Harry wished that he could finish the conversation that had been interrupted by Hermione's arrival. Maybe he shouldn't have told him anything about the strange feelings he had been developing for Hermione. Was it just his imagination, or was Ron acting jealous?  
"Nothing," Ron finally answered, getting up from the table. "I've got to speak to Professor Flitwick about something before class. See you later." And he rushed off.  
"What's gotten into him?" Hermione asked.  
"Maybe it was the pumpkin pie too."  
"I don't know, Harry. He seemed rather upset about something," Hermione paused "You don't think he is upset that we're going to the Ball together do you?"  
Harry looked at her. Why was he feeling so funny around her lately? It made him feel so warm and happy and comfortable. _Did_ he have a crush on her? What would she do if she found out? He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.  
"I don't know, maybe. I didn't think it was such a big deal and then this morning at breakfast, he seemed pretty shocked about it." Harry paused, choosing his words carefully. " Maybe he's annoyed that I beat him to it."  
"Beat him to what?"  
"Beat him to asking you to the Ball."  
"Maybe we should've discussed this with him before we decided to go together. I don't want him thinking that there's something going on between us. That would be really awkward," Hermione said, looking into his eyes.  
"Yeah. We wouldn't want him thinking that," Harry said, gazing back. She was smiling nervously at him.  
Normally, he would have looked away, keeping to himself. He was feeling funny, kind of like someone was playing exploding snaps in his stomach and something inside him told him that he didn't want to look away anymore.  
It was Hermione that broke the stare-down that seemed to last an eternity to Harry. Her cheeks were flushed and she took a sip of her pumpkin juice, looking around the Great Hall. She put her goblet down and looked at him.  
"So, shall we?" He said, feeling like he had just had a nice, warm butterbeer.  
"Yes, let's."  
"You've got to listen to me, Ron. Why are you acting like such a prat?"  
"I don't know Harry lets think. _Maybe_ its because you won't admit that you like Hermione." Ron snapped at Harry. They were in the Common Room playing wizard's chess waiting for Hermione to come down from the girl's dormitory to head down to supper.  
"Look, forget what I said this morning. I just wasn't sure about what I was feeling. I think I was nervous about what other people might think. I mean half the school already assumes she and I have something going on. I guess I was just nervous for no reason. Look at you!"  
"You don't have to lie to me to save my feelings, Harry."  
"I'm not lying!"   
"_So_… you don't like her."  
"No. I do like her, just not in that way."  
"Are you sure?"   
"Yes. And even if I did like her, I'd stay away from her because I don't want to ruin the friendship all three of us have."  
Ron looked convinced. He sat back in his chair and nodded his head. He let out an audible exhalation.  
"It's really strange having a girl for a best friend sometimes, isn't it?" Ron said.  
"Yeah. But she's a really good friend that I wouldn't want to lose."  
"You're absolutely right, Harry. That's why I think it is best if neither one of us dates her, Not that I would want to, just that I think we'd ruin our friendship if either one of us did. It'd just be too awkward, especially for the one left out."

"You're absolutely right Ron." Said Harry, and with that closure on the subject the two friends went back to their game as if nothing had ever been awkward between them.  
"Okay Harry. First thing's first. If we're going to the Ball together, you have to take this seriously."

"Alright, alright - but it does tickle when you breath on my neck like that," Harry said, nervously stifling a laugh.  
"How about if I move my head to the side like this."  
"That's better, but not as much fun. And why do we have to hold our hands like this anyway? I'd rather put both my arms around your waist…like this." He said sliding his hands around her waist and pullind her toward him, narrowing the space between them, amazed at his own daring.  
"Harry James Potter! You insufferable flirt!" said Hermione using his full name and in a fake angry voice "We are going to use proper form! The dance book I got out of the library says that we have to hold our hands together on this side and you hold my waist on the other side, like that." said Hermione moving his hands and arms into place on her body.  
Harry looked into her eyes. He was feeling intoxicated again. He didn't know what it felt like to be drunk, but this must be close. His head was swimming and he felt strangely giddy. Hermione looked back at him, her expression unreadable, emerald green meeting chocolate brown. He wanted to kiss her but he didn't know how to go about it. He'd never really kissed a girl before… well, there was that one time with Cho last year but he didn't really count that. Aside from his lack of expierence, he was really nervous about what it would mean and what she would do.  
He pushed all his worries out of his head and without thinking, he moved his hands back to her waist and brought her against him again. She didn't resist. He leaned down, inches away from her lips.  
"I've never kissed a boy before, Harry," he heard her whisper, her breathing becoming more and more shallow. Harry's face, if possible moved closer to hers. He was so close he could feel her breathing and smell her sweet breath.  
"I guess it'll be a first for both of us, then."  
And without another word Harry gently pressed his lips against hers. Instantly, he felt shooting sensations of warmth and flutters of pleasure throughout his body. He felt her embrace him over his shoulders as they both leaned into the kiss, breathing heavier and heavier. He suddenly realized that they both had opened their mouths and were pressing them together really tightly, kissing and kissing over and over again. He was losing breath, but it felt so good, he didn't want to stop…. 

"I said, 'Harry, are you feeling alright?'"  
Harry snapped out of his reverie and into reality. He hadn't been alone with Hermione in the empty Charms classroom learning how to dance and making out. He was sitting with her and Ron in the library looking up potions for their exam at the end of the week.  
"Wha-at? Oh yeah. I'm fine. Sorry… must have dozed off."  
"I found a really good antidote for Snape's test. It's definitely going to earn us top marks on the end of term exam."  
"Good, good. I can use all the help I can get," Harry said absentmindedly. His head was still filled with the daydream. He could still feel the warmth and pleasure of her kiss in his whole body. He would have to wait around for a while before he could get up to leave the library. He tried hard to think about Snape. That thought alone would turn off any hormone-crazed 15-year-old boy better than any cold shower ever could.  
"Yeah. If it weren't for you, Hermione, both Harry and I would be getting big fat zeros from Snape this term," Ron said, glancing down at Double, Double Boils and Trouble by Hilda Moleskin.  
They packed up their bags and left the library after studying and talking for another half an hour. As they were walking down the corridor, Hermione lingered back to talk with Harry, Ron walking up ahead of them.  
"Harry," she said in a whisper.  
"Yes," he whispered back, looking at the back of Ron's head and wondering if he would disapprove of this little exchange.  
"We have to talk. Alone. Tonight."  
"Why?" he asked.   
"There's something I want to show you." She was looking a little mischievous. "I think this will solve all of our problems."  
"What's this about? Why can't we just talk tomorrow morning before breakfast? What about Ron?"  
"This isn't for Ron. I'll explain it all tonight."  
"Okay, how about you meet me down in the Common Room at around midnight? I'll bring my invisibility cloak."  
"Good. We'll need it to sneak out."  
"Where are we going?"  
"Trust me," she whispered.  
"Okay. I'll meet you in the Common Room then." They had arrived at the Fat Lady ("Silver unicorn"), climbed in and took over a table by the far windows.


	2. Chapter 2: Lessons in Dance and Other St...

**A Kiss Isn't Just a Kiss Chapter Two: Lessons in Dance and Other Stuff**

Hermione headed down the stairs from her dormitory, book tucked under her arm. Her heart was pounding. She was trying her hardest to make as little sound as possible. If anyone caught her leaving, she'd have to make up some excuse about needing to get some more studying in or something. It wouldn't be too hard to convince anyone of that.  
She arrived at the empty common room and realized how stupid part of their plan had been. How was she supposed to know if Harry was there or not? She supposed that she should just wait around for him to tap her on the shoulder or something.  
Why was she being so absentminded these days? Maybe what Pavarti had said to her the other day had bothered her on a subconscious level. She seemed to be thinking an awful lot about Harry since that conversation. Maybe because they were going to the Ball together she was feeling a little awkward. That was probably it.  
She was hoping that her plan would help alleviate some of the awkwardness that had been going on between them.  
Just as she was about to walk over to sit on the sofa, she heard it. It sounded like a thud and a gasp. A split second later, she was being knocked on her back to the ground by some unseen object. Her book went flying. She stifled a yell.  
It was Harry. He was now twisted up on top of her, his left arm pressing into her ribs.  
"Shhhhhh," he whispered into her ear. She still couldn't see him.  
"What are you doing?" she whispered back.  
"Sorry! I tripped on my cloak."

" Merlin's beard, you gave me a fright!" she whispered as he lifted the cloak and brought it over her head. Now she could see him. His face was inches from hers and they were both struggling to get off the floor. She could feel his warm breath on her face and smell his minty toothpaste. Then for a second that seemed like an eternity, they just stopped and stared at each other, trancelike. Hermione lips started to tingle, and she felt compelled to continue staring into his emerald green eyes. She vaguely noticed that she was holding her breath. It was Harry who came to his senses first. He pulled himself off of her and helped her get up. It was a little difficult doing all of this under the cloak since they had to be very close together and Hermione wondered why he just didn't pull it off for a bit so they could both get up.  
**Hermione **could hear her heartbeat in her eardrums. She had been caught entirely off guard by her reaction to being so close to him. She tried hard to recover her composure. Maybe she was just getting over the shock of being knocked over unexpectedly. Yes, that had to be it.  
"So what is this all about, Hermione?" Harry whispered to her, as she led him over to pick up her book.  
"I'll explain when we get there, just follow me," was all she said, tucking the book under her arm.  
"Okay, but I'm surprised at you, Hermione. I mean, breaking the rules and all. Ron and I are a bad influence."  
"Ha! Ha! Now let's get going."  
They stepped out of the portrait hole. The Fat Lady was snoozing and didn't seem to care. They walked for a while and reached a dark, empty classroom that looked like it hadn't been used in years.  
"Phosphoro," Hermione murmured, taking the cloak off their heads. The room was instantly lit with what looked like hundreds of small white candles, some levitated, and others on the floor and windowsills. It made the room sparkle in a magical sort of way.  
"Impressed?" Hermione asked, noticing Harry's wide-eyed look.  
"Where did you learn to do this?" he asked.  
"I just put a charm on the candles, it was pretty easy really."  
Harry was getting more nervous. He was still recovering from knocking her over and now he had a strange feeling about this place. He felt like he'd been here before. What was Hermione playing at?  
Hermione opened up the book that she had been carrying with her. Harry read the title on the front cover: The Enchanting Spell of Dancing. He furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why the heck Hermione had a book out on dancing. Then remembered his daydream earlier that evening. He almost choked. His eyes widened and he took a deep breath to calm himself. He thought his heart was going to break down it was beating so fast.  
"Hermione," he said, trying hard to hide the fact that he impulsively wanted to run away from there as fast as he could.  
"Just a second," she said, looking up from the book. "I hope you like this little surprise I cooked up for you," she continued before he could say another word, "I think this should cure us of our nerves."  
"Our nerves?"  
"Yes, our nerves. Haven't you been feeling kind of nervous about this whole Ball thing lately? I know I have. I have been noticing you acting kind of funny in the last couple of days. I figured you were probably experiencing the same sort of insecurity that I'm feeling about this."  
"And what's that?" Harry asked, realizing that he probably already knew the answer that was coming.  
"Well, neither one of us knows how to dance very well, do we? I mean, the way Pavarti steered you around last year, I could tell you didn't know what was going on. As for myself, I know that I danced a lot with Viktor, but I was only able to do it because he led me. Maybe if we learn the basics, we'll feel much more comfortable about the whole affair."  
Harry just stared at her. He was having an internal struggle and he didn't know which side would win. This couldn't be happening! He wished he had a few moments to think, to figure out what he wanted and how he could manage this without upsetting one of his best friends. His mind reeled in a confused mess of thoughts.  
If he stayed and learned how to dance with Hermione, he risked something happening that would make Ron really angry with him. If he tried to beg off and leave, he risked disappointing Hermione, leaving her wondering at his strange behavior and possibly raising her suspicions that he had feelings for her.  
As if to make matters worse, he wasn't even sure how she felt about him. She seemed to equate his nervousness with his lack of confidence about dancing. One positive thought that did cross his mind was that she had went to the trouble of decorating the room with candles, a very romantic gesture for someone who was supposedly just a friend.  
But what if she preferred it that way: just friends? What if he stayed and tried to kiss her? How would she react? If she rejected him, would it destroy their friendship? If she didn't reject him, would he be breaking his word to Ron? In either case, how would this affect his friendship with both of them? He hated the idea of losing Ron as a friend – last year proved how miserable that could be. And he needed Hermione, desperately. He did not want to risk losing her.  
"I was right, then. Wasn't I?" Hermione said, noticing the confused expression on Harry's face and a lack of response.  
Suddenly, Harry was hit with a bolt of inspiration. He could get through this without alienating either one of his friends! He shouldn't have let that silly daydream taint his head! He had control of his destiny, by God, and he wasn't about to act like the impulsive, hormone-crazed boy from his dream. All he had to do was exercise some self-control - some focused, concentrated, calming self-control.  
Harry exhaled and said, "Of course you were right, Hermione. This is a really good idea. I already feel relieved." He smiled at her.  
"Great! Then let's get started." Hermione put the open book down on the floor and moved closer to him.  
"So, you put your right hand on my hip, like this," Hermione explained. She took his right hand and he let her place it on her left hip.  
"Then I put my arm over your shoulder, like this," she said, putting her left arm up over his shoulder, her hand resting on it lightly.  
"Then we hold hands on this side, our arms out." Her voice quivered slightly.  
"So, is this it?" Harry asked, looking down at her with a sarcastic smirk.  
"I think so, but let me check the book. Don't move." Hermione let go of him and stepped back to check the book, turning and bending her knees slightly, her back to Harry.  
When she stood upright and turned around, she noticed that he had dropped his arms and was looking pensive.  
"What's wrong, Harry?"  
"I was just thinking."  
"About what?"  
"About our friendship, and how important it is to me."  
"Aw. That is so nice, Harry." Hermione rubbed his arm. "It is important to me too." She looked into his eyes and smiled warmly.  
"I mean, we've been though so much together," Harry said as he put his arms back in position for dancing, Hermione following his lead.  
"Yeah, the other day I was thinking about the time we had to use my time-turner to save Buckbeak and Sirius. That was mad! Remember that?" Hermione reminisced, shaking her head.  
"Of course I remember that. That whole night was such a close call! How about that time we got through that potions task when we were looking for the Philosopher's Stone our first year? I was so relieved that you were with me, because I wouldn't have had a chance on my own!"  
"You don't know how many times I have had nightmares about that night and dreamt that I messed it all up, gave you the wrong potion, and drank another wrong one myself." Hermione giggled. They were both laughing now with a sort of nervous energy.  
Harry stopped laughing suddenly, a serious look on his face.  
"You've been with me through a lot of really difficult stuff that would frighten away most people. You're really brave, and really smart," he said, looking in to her eyes.  
"Well, I think you're really brave and really smart too," Hermione responded, almost in a whisper. She looked up into his eyes and then, rather shyly, looked down at her feet.  
They paused. It seemed like time was standing still.  
Hermione could feel Harry looking down at her – gosh he'd gotten taller since last year. She felt his stare warming the top of her head and tried to decide if she should look up. She could feel something inside her trying to break free, but she didn't know what it was. She could feel herself trembling and hoped he didn't notice. She realized then that she would kiss Harry if she looked up into his gorgeous green eyes. What would happen if they did kiss? How would he react? What if he didn't want her that way? She started to feel dizzy, not able to think clearly.  
Then the book on the floor caught her eye. She had pushed it closer to them and left it open to a picture of a witch and wizard dancing. Except, they weren't dancing anymore, they were kissing. Feeling strangely embarrassed, she quickly looked up at Harry to see if he had seen the picture too.  
He grinned at her. "So where do we go from here?"  
"What do you mean?" The question had caught Hermione off guard. She twisted her hair nervously.  
"Well, I'm supposed to lead, right? So what are the steps?"  
Yes Harry, she thought. Why don't you lead? Why don't you bend down and kiss me right now so I don't have to worry about what it would mean?  
"Hermione? Did you hear me? What are the steps?"  
"Steps? Yes! Steps!" Hermione quickly regained her composure and went into academic mode, demonstrating the steps as she spoke. "It says that we are supposed to move to the music in a box shape, you stepping to your left, then forward towards me, then to your right, then back to the original position. I just follow your lead by doing the opposite of what you're doing."  
"That seems pretty easy. Let's try it again," Harry said enthusiastically.  
They practiced the box step for a couple of minutes before getting the hang of it. Harry stepping on Hermione's toes a few times, and Hermione fighting hard not to take the lead. There were a lot of laughter and eye rolls, but when they were finished, it felt pretty comfortable and easy.  
"Now, we should be practicing to music, but I didn't have access to a wizard's wireless, so we'll just have to count," Hermione said matter-of-factly.  
She started counting as they practiced the steps some more. "One-two-THREE, four-five-SIX. One-two-THREE, four-five-SIX." They started laughing and playing around again as they tried to master dancing to a beat.  
"Why don't we try humming a merry tune?" Harry said sarcastically, fluttering his eyelashes teasingly.  
"I don't know any good ones, do you?" Hermione pulled away from him, her hands on her hips, snickering. Concentrating on the dancing was making it easier for her to keep herself together. Thankfully, she was no longer feeling dizzy. Instead she was filled with a feeling of warmth and caring for this wizard who was kind enough to indulge her by trying very hard to learn how to dance.  
"No, but Professor Flitwick has a wizard's wireless, let's sneak into his classroom and borrow it. We can set it really low, no one will hear."  
"Good idea. I wish I had thought of that myself."  
Hermione grabbed her book, closing it quickly so Harry couldn't see the picture. They got under the cloak and headed out the door, Harry in the lead.


	3. Chapter 3: The Kiss

**A/N: **well here's chapter three. i hope you like it. please note that all my other updates will not be this close together. this is just a story that i wrote long ago and happens to be typed and ready to be uploaded. with that said...

**Disclamar: I don't know why I'm even writing this but just to make things clear..._I do not own Harry Potter, Harry Potter_ belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling.**

A Kiss Isn't Just a Kiss Chapter Three: The Kiss

They were walking down the charms corridor towards Flitwick's classroom, when they heard Peeves.  
"Oh no!" whispered Hermione nervously, seeing him come bounding out of a classroom. "I hope he doesn't bump into us!"  
"Shhhh," whispered Harry. He didn't want to say anything to Hermione, but it looked like Peeves was headed right for them if they didn't move out of the way. He had to act quickly.  
Without a second thought, Harry grabbed Hermione by the arm and quickly pulled her to the right side of the hall. He pressed his back against the wall and he pulled her towards him. He held his arms tightly around her to keep her from moving so that the cloak didn't fall off. He felt her bury her head in his shoulder. They both held their breath while they waited for Peeves to go away.  
Normally, they would just have walked by him, whispering that Bloody Baron imitation Harry had used successfully in the past. But this time, Peeves was ricocheting off the walls. They did not want to risk losing points or tarnishing Hermione's new prefect status by getting caught out of bed after hours. So they waited. And waited. He just wouldn't go

away.  
Meanwhile, Harry was beginning to feel really flustered holding Hermione like that. He had given her hugs many times in the nearly five years of their friendship. Why hadn't he noticed before that her hair smelled like spicy cinnamon? He was definitely getting turned on and was afraid that she was close enough to him that she would notice. His heart was beating so loudly that Peeves was likely to hear it. Harry looked down and saw that Hermione's brown eyes were filled with anxiety.  
Then they heard a ragged voice shout: "Peeves!" Filch had arrived with Mrs. Norris. Now the party was complete. Who says things don't happen at Hogwarts at 2 in the morning?  
"I have an idea," Hermione whispered.  
"I'm glad one of us does," Harry whispered back.  
"Let's head into the room right here. Maybe no one will notice if we close the door slowly. Then we can safely wait until they all leave."  
"Good plan. I'll follow you. We should go now," Harry whispered quickly.  
Hermione led the way, skimming the side of the hallway leading to a door that was very close to where they had been trapped. They tip-toed inside and started to shut the door. It let out a small squeak. Hermione pulled out her wand, pointed it at the door, and murmured, "Quietamora". That did it. They were able to close the door without a sound. Harry looked at her, admiration on his face – she never failed to impress him. She just shrugged her shoulders. They both let out a sigh of relief.  
"We should probably stay under the cloak, just in case one of them opens that door," Hermione whispered.  
"Yeah, you're probably right. But it's getting kind of warm under here, don't you think?" Harry answered.  
"Yeah, maybe a little. Probably because we are both stressed out about almost getting caught. My heart is still beating really fast from the scare."  
"Yeah. That's probably it," said Harry, trying to sound like he agreed with her assessment even though he knew the real reason why he was feeling so hot. "Let's sit over there," he said, looking around the room and spotting a bench against the wall. They went over to it and sat down.  
From what Harry noticed in the room, it looked like they were in the classroom dedicated to the study of advanced Astrology. The ceiling was enchanted to reflect the constellations more clearly than one could see with the naked eye. There were several large clear globes on pedestals throughout the room with what looked like miniature replicas of the solar system spinning around inside them. Neither one of them had been in there before, but Harry had heard George and Fred talk about it as a great make-out spot if the Astronomy Tower was too difficult to get to.  
"Harry?" Hermione whispered.  
"Yeah?"  
"Do you know what this room is?"  
"Yes, I do. It's one of the Astrology classrooms, isn't it?" he answered her.  
"Yes, that's right. But it…… well….. it's also where …. um…." Hermione seemed like she couldn't find the right words, a very rare occurrence.  
"Where couples come to make out?" Harry finished for her.  
"Yes. Exactly." Hermione said, sounding very embarrassed now. Then she got a look of mock shock on her face and gasped, "Harry Potter, don't tell me you've been here before!"  
"I have not! George and Fred told me about it."  
"Oh."  
"How about you, Miss Granger? You seem to be very knowledgeable about what goes on here," Harry said, smirking and elbowing Hermione in the ribs.  
"I am not. I mean, I haven't been here before either. Ouch. I heard Lavender and Pavarti talking about it in our dormitory - and stop elbowing me, it is starting to tickle and I might laugh out loud and blow our cover."  
"Oh, come on Hermione," Harry said laughing quietly. His roller coaster of emotions tonight was leaving him feeling somewhat punch-drunk and he wanted to have some fun. He'd just have to be careful not to lose control, that was all. "You're not really ticklish are you?"  
She looked at him warningly, "You better not try anything, Harry. We'll get caught!"  
"Try anything? What? I'm just trying to have some fun. The way you sound, you'd think I was trying to kiss you or something."  
"Yeah. I wish," Hermione said absentmindedly. Then she inhaled quickly, realizing what she had just said and covered her mouth in shock, looking at him. She pulled her hands down from her face. "I mean, I wish…… I wish…… I wish we could get out of here," she stammered, "we are really going to get it if Filch –"  
But she did not get to finish. Harry had gently pressed his lips to hers, not able to resist his impulses anymore. He had lost control and let his teenage hormones get the best of him.  
The kiss started out very gently. At first, Hermione seemed a bit surprised at his gesture and pulled away very slightly. Then Harry could feel her body shift towards his as she kissed him back. She put her arms over his shoulders her hands joined behind his neck. He thought he heard her sigh, though he couldn't be sure because his ears seemed to be ringing. He moved his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and closer. They bumped noses awkwardly a couple of times, laughing softly in between the kisses, which were getting more and more intense.  
Harry had never kissed a girl before. He had thought about it a lot, yes. And he had dreamed about it quite frequently, but no dream could have prepared him for this experience. His whole body felt like it was on fire. He realized that he was not really breathing much and was starting to feel dizzy – and he loved every second of it. The room was spinning in a whirl of sensations that gave him a tremendous amount of pleasure: the smell of her hair, the taste of her warm, moist mouth, the feeling of her body close to his.  
Then they started to lose control. He didn't know what made him do it, but Harry tried moving his tongue in with their open-mouthed kiss and the effect was instantaneous. Hermione let out an audible gasp. They pressed their bodies together intensely, kissing each other like that again and again. Both of them were breathing really heavy now and were kissing so voraciously that Harry's chin was starting to feel bruised. He noticed that Hermione's hands had moved from behind his neck to his back. He could feel her fingernails digging into him, and he hoped that it was because she was feeling extreme pleasure too.  
It was Hermione who finally put on the brakes. She pulled away from him a little and took a deep breath. He tried to kiss her again, but she unwrapped her arms from around him and sat back. Her lips looked swollen and her eyes were watery but she was smiling.  
"We should stop, Harry," she whispered, as he again tried to kiss her and she pulled away. He released his hold on her.  
"What! Why?" he said, in a voice he barely recognized as his own it sounded so intense and almost husky.  
"We are too young to be…. You KNOW!" she said, looking at him seriously.  
"You know WHAT?"  
"Fooling around like this. It's bound to lead to other things and we aren't ready for that yet."  
"I wasn't going to…. We weren't going to….." he said, clumsily. Had all of the blood left his brain? He couldn't talk or think properly.  
"But what if we hadn't stopped just now?" Hermione asked, anxiously. "We might have let things go too far. I was beginning to feel like I couldn't stop."  
"Uh-huh," was all Harry could manage to say. He had to pull himself together. He needed to cool off, to think of something to distract him from the sensations he was still feeling. How about Quidditch? Boy, that last game against Hufflepuff was a close call. Nope. Wasn't working. Time to think about Snape again.  
Harry straightened up and looked at Hermione. As he looked at her, he realized that something inside him that had been stirring for weeks now had been completely awakened. He now knew one thing for sure: he wanted nothing more than to be with her, to take care of her, to make her happy. He was hit with such a powerful wave of emotion that he had to breathe deeply and tighten his throat to keep from choking up. She was his best friend and now she was so much more. Was this what being in love felt like? He desperately hoped that she felt the same way.  
"I'm scared, Harry," Hermione whispered.  
Harry put his arms back around her. "What are you scared of? Filch? He'll go away soon enough. We just have to wait a little longer, that's all."  
"No. It's not that," she said, her voice quivering with emotion, "We just kissed Harry. And that wasn't just any kiss. I mean, we really went at it. I'm scared that I lost control like that. I'm scared of what this means. I'm scared of how this is going to change things between us. I'm scared of how much I feel for you. I'm just……..scared." She started to cry softly, burying her head into his shoulder.  
Harry held her tighter and said, "Hermione, I'm really happy about what just happened. I've been thinking about you differently for a while now. I know what you mean about feeling scared about all of those things, and I am scared of them too. But this is a good thing, don't you think? I mean, this just feels so right.  
She pulled her head off his shoulder, her face wet with tears, her eyes red and swollen and whispered, "I think I may be in love with you, Harry." She looked up and their eyes met.  
"Gosh, Hermione," he forced himself to speak – somehow his throat was starting to close up, "I…. I think I'm in love with you too." He leaned in to give her a soft, sweet kiss on the lips. They leaned their foreheads together, both smiling. They didn't seem to need words anymore. They had discovered the sweet, tender bliss that first love bestows. Sitting on the bench, still under the invisibility cloak, listening to each other breathing, they were lost in the moment.  
"CRASH!"  
Peeves had burst in. Filch followed, yelling and waving his walking stick in the air, Mrs. Norris at his heels. Harry, who had wheeled around in surprise to look at the disturbance, turned his head and focus back to Hermione. He was about to try to get her to sneak out of the room with him when he noticed her eyes rolling to the back of her head. Her body was going limp.  
Harry tightened his grip around her and braced himself so that they wouldn't fall off the bench as he caught her. She was now completely passed out in his arms! She had given no warning – no indication at all that she wasn't feeling well. What was wrong with her? Was she going to be all right? Had the surprise of Peeves entering the room made her faint?  
Harry tried quietly to wake her up. At first he tried gently shaking her and whispering into her ear. That didn't work. With a little difficulty, owing to the fact that he she was practically on top of him, he took out his wand. He pointed it at her and murmured, "Ennervate." That didn't work either. He was beginning to get really frantic. He was trapped there under the cloak, holding a passed-out Hermione and desperately hoping that she was OK. He needed to get her back to the Gryffindor common room so that he could take a better look at her in the light.  
He concocted a plan. It wasn't a very good one, but given what he had just been through, his brain still didn't seem to be working to its fullest capacity. He would wait until Peeves and Filch had cleared out, hoping that they did not find them sitting there on the bench. Then he would levitate her above him covered with his cloak as they headed back to the common room. If he heard anyone coming, he would just catch her and hide against the side of the hallway. He wished that he had his Maurader's map – it had been confiscated as part of the cleanup that happened after the horrible ending of the Triwizard Tournament.  
He sat and waited what seemed like an eternity, then began executing his plan.

**A/N:** I hope you all like this so far. I'd like to say thank you to _call me britt_ for reviewing my story. thanks so much, i really didnt even expect to get any reviews so that makes me happy. anyway to all the rest of you who read my story please please please review! see you all soon!


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